Constitutional Amendment-The Remedy?

Gus is a one-year-old male German Shorthaired Pointer that seemed to have that adolescent teen personality.  He has great physique and ability but is entirely bashful in new situations.  Even though he was well socialized he still did not meet people well and would cower with a new person or loud noises.  Conversely, he was completely comfortable with pointing birds and a shotgun blast.  Gus also had a poor appetite and ate the occasional bite all day long.  I decided it was time to give him a constitutional remedy. 

A constitution is the emotional, mental and physical state of an individual.  It is his or her nature or temperament.  This can be genetic and/or acquired.  While most of our focus is on the physical aspects of health, the more important is the emotional or mental health.

A constitutional remedy is one that fits most of the entire person: physical, mental and emotional.  Ideally a constitutional remedy is used on a healthy person to fortify them.  However, most remedies are used when something is out of balance.  When “out of balance”, the remedy selected may not be the individual’s “constitution” but is the remedy picture presented.  Each homeopathic remedy has physical, mental, and emotional aspects.  It is the homeopaths job to select the remedy that best fits the total person. 

While most use homeopathics for a single purpose, such as Arnica for bruising, each homeopathic remedy can influence a number of seemingly unrelated symptoms.  Lycopodium (club moss) is commonly used for gas and poor digestion.  The mental aspect of Lycopodium includes indecision, timidity, loss of confidence or poor self-esteem.  There is a fear of strangers and a fear of being alone.  The key note here is impotence.  This is not a sexual impotence but overall ineffectiveness. 

Gus received one dose of Lycopodium 1M with no results.  With the second dose one day later he made a complete shift.  He was more confident and happy to meet anyone new.  It was as if he thought everyone had a gift for him.  He also began eating all of his food when presented.   The only down side was that he was interested in mounting any other canine of any sex.  No more ineffectiveness of attitude.  Hopefully, better judgment would come with experience.  Pretty amazing.  

(Note:  most homeopaths would not use a 1M potency first and would start with a 30C, but this was not my choice). 

Stay Well!

Natural Emotional Memory

                                                      Scent Point at Six Months Old

A dog’s instinct is to chase.  Another instinct is to pause before pouncing on their prey.   Pointing dogs find game by scent and have a more developed instinct to pause, hence, pointing out the location of the game.  These pointing dogs are then trained to maintain the point until the game bird is flushed and shot.  When Rikki, my German Shorthaired Pointer, is on point, she is almost mesmerized.  If you look at her eyes, she appears to be in a trance like state as she stands statuesque never blinking or moving.  This trance is certainly an emotional experience with the reward of powerfully positive brain chemistry (neurotransmitters).

When she was pregnant, my older friend suggested that I put her on point saying it would help the offspring later.  While I did not entirely believe it would make any difference, it certainly could not hurt.  Much to my amazement the puppies demonstrated an unusually strong pointing instinct without training.  They would stand point and not give chase as previous litters.  Is this purely genetic or did the puppies experience the emotions of the mother in the womb making it more likely for them to respond in the same way? 

This example opens many possible questions.  Could the emotional experiences of the mother be “imprinted” on the offspring?  The concept of cellular memory has been studied in many life forms including yeast, worms, and mice.  There are many theories as to how such memory works.  We are a culmination of all the life experiences of the past.  In some ways our brain is hard wired to seek out and experience the same thoughts, feelings, or emotions that we have always experienced.  Changing these patterns is the frontier of medicine.

EVOX

Natural Choice

Every quality litter of German Shorthaired Pointer puppies will have dogs of different personality due to genetics and the litter pecking order.  The runt may have reserved tendencies while the alpha dog tends to be more aggressive and venturesome.  Those in the middle have various degrees of these extremes.  Some will be of show/confirmation quality, some will be good hunters, and some may be both.  Some will make better field dogs and some will make better pets.  Everyone wants the “pick of the litter”, but that is a relative term depending on what type of dog you want.  The amazing thing is that EVERYONE picks on appearance and color without regard to much else.  The breeder may even strongly advise against a specific pick for that individual, however, appearance is everything.  Such is the world we live in.  Ok, that has only a slight connection to the rest of the blog; I just wanted to share the observation.

Healthcare choices can be difficult.  How do you choose a physician?  Chances are if you like him and he gives you what you want then he/she is a great doctor.  On the other hand, you might have one with a poor bedside manner, but he is actually an outstanding clinician.  A “Board Certified” physician has taken the steps to validate his knowledge, however, there is really no way to know how good he is.  The same is true with your pharmacist.  We all know there are levels of competence in any field.  Knowing competency lies in the results, a personal recommendation, and/or a comfort level with that individual.

What if you get bad news?  Perhaps you have a forbidden illness and you have to make seemingly quick choices.  This is a extremely difficult time when emotions are running high.  Some fear death, some do not, but none of us wants to suffer.  By the way, there is nothing wrong or sinful about fear of death.  It is an unfamiliar experience.  Should you ask “how much time do I have?”  Can anyone really have that answer?  Better questions may include:

What are my choices?

What are your recommendations?

How much time do I have to make a decision; one day, one week, one month?

What risk am I taking if I decide against your recommendation? 

If I choose something other than your recommendation, will you still help me with other issues?

Hopefully, health care is an informed choice devoid of emotional influences.  Of course this is not likely.  However, it is still your choice.  Ask questions and get detailed information.  There are risks in making any choice.  Realize that not deciding or not deciding now is still a choice.  If you have the time, the wait until the choice is clear.  Physicians do the best they can, giving the best advice they know, but your life is your responsibility.  Take the time to consider your options and secure a choice with which you are comfortable.

Stay Well!